The present invention is directed to a conveyor system and more particularly to a roller conveyor system and various sub-assemblies thereof
Conveyor systems are widely used within industry to transport raw materials, components and/or finished products along an assembly line or otherwise within or between manufacturing facilities. One common conveyor system is a belt driven roller conveyor system. In belt-drive roller conveyor systems, a moving belt is raised or lowered beneath a set of elongated cylinders (i.e., rollers) to make or remove contact between the moving belt and the rollers. When the moving belt contacts the rollers, the rollers rotate in the opposite direction as the belt. As a result, a bale of goods or other article situated on top of the rollers is conveyed along the conveyor path as the rollers rotate in place. Other roller conveyor systems are known, including gravity and chain driven systems.
Unfortunately, numerous drawbacks are associated with conventional roller conveyor systems. Among those disadvantages include that the systems are often labor-intensive to install and maintain. Because they are often used continuously in a manufacturing or warehouse environment, roller conveyor systems can be subjected to long and rigorous operating conditions, resulting in wear and tear of components that require frequent maintenance. Maintenance of roller conveyor systems is often expensive, due in large part to the procurement and installation of spare parts, many of which are heavy and cumbersome.
It would be desirable in the art for a roller conveyor system and apparatus usable for manufacturing conveyor rollers without the above-mentioned drawbacks.